Reciprocating fluid pumps are used in many industries. Reciprocating fluid pumps generally include two fluid chambers in a pump body. A reciprocating piston or shaft is driven back and forth within the pump body. As the reciprocating piston moves in one direction, fluid may be drawn into a first fluid chamber of the two fluid chambers and expelled from a second chamber of the two fluid chambers in the pump body. As the reciprocating piston moves in an opposite direction, fluid is expelled from the first fluid chamber and fluid is drawn into the second fluid chamber. A chamber inlet and a chamber outlet may be provided in fluid communication with the first fluid chamber, and another chamber inlet and another chamber outlet may be provided in fluid communication with the second fluid chamber. The chamber inlets to the first and second fluid chambers may be in fluid communication with a common single pump inlet, and the chamber outlets from the first and second fluid chambers may be in fluid communication with a common single pump outlet, such that fluid may be drawn into the pump body through the single pump inlet from a single fluid source, and fluid may be expelled from the pump through the single pump outlet. Check valves may be provided at the chamber inlet and outlet of each of the fluid chambers to ensure that fluid can only flow into the fluid chambers through the chamber inlets, and fluid can only flow out of the fluid chambers through the chamber outlets.
Examples of such reciprocating fluid pumps are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,507, which issued Dec. 6, 1994 to Dunn et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,506, which issued Sep. 24, 1996 to Simmons et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,707, which issued Apr. 13, 1999 to Simmons et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,246, which issued Aug. 22, 2000 to Steck et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,918, which issued Oct. 2, 2001 to Simmons et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,443, which issued Feb. 3, 2004 to Simmons et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,458,309, which issued Dec. 2, 2008 to Simmons et al.; the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference.
There remains a need in the art for improved reciprocating fluid pumps and methods of making and using such pumps.